Where I ramble about continuing my education...

I've been thinking about this subject for a long time...before I even graduated with my bachelor degree. And now that I'm done with undergraduate studies, it seems to be all I can think about. I've been scouring the internet looking at different programs and trying to decide what I want to do.

I just wish getting a college education wasn't SO expensive! I was able to accomplish getting my undergraduate degree without incurring any student loans. And right now, I have zero debt. So taking on student loans at this point in my life is very nerve-wracking to me. If money wasn't an obstacle, I wouldn't have any problem deciding to go to graduate school. But I still really, really want to. I love to learn. Actually let me clarify...I love to learn about topics I'm passionate about and things I find interesting.

For example, the books in my personal library include: The Anatomy of Motive, Criminal Psychology, Slipping through the Cracks (Intervention Strategies for Clients with Multiple Addictions and Disorders), The Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice, Investigative Psychology, Correctional Counseling and Treatment, The Strengths Model, etc. These are my leisurely reading books that I've started reading now that I'm not bogged down with homework. I'm sure it seems pretty strange...but it's what I find interesting. I've always been kind of a nerd who likes to read textbooks...ever since I was a kid. I'd go to the library a lot and most of my time was spent in the nonfiction section.

I hope to eventually have a lot more books on similar topics. Oh and by the way...I am in love with finding used books online. One I just got was only 1 cent and less than $3 shipping. Amazon.com also has a LOT of free kindle books. That list above doesn't even count my Kindle books (I don't have a Kindle but I have the app on my phone and I read them that way)...but there are a lot of similar things in psychology, psychotherapy, forensics, criminal sociology, and several books about lies/deception...and a dream analysis book just for some variety. ;)

ANYWAY...I got sidetracked.

When I started community college in 2000, I decided to get my AA in Psychology. This was my plan throughout my last 3 years of high school and I was even approved to do an independent study in psychology during my senior year. While I wanted to be a psychologist, I hadn't really looked into what all was required in the profession and the education to get there. And then about a year later, I got pregnant and decided to take a break to raise my kids. So I stopped thinking about it.

In 2007, my oldest child was starting Kindergarten. And I was also thinking a lot about going back to school, myself. I talked with my mom about it in great length and she helped me sort things out so I could go back. I went back to the same community college. While I wasn't as passionate about general psychology as I had been in the past, I wanted to finish that degree.

One of the last classes I took before graduating was intro to criminal justice. I realized that it was so much more interesting to me than just focusing on psychology. So I had begun to start rethinking my goals. When I started at WSU in 2008, I intended to combine the psychology and sociology by completing courses for substance abuse certification. However, that year the program was cancelled at WSU. Since I enjoyed the criminal justice classes so much, I decided to go that route. Of course, then I realized that NO prior classes in Spanish made it even more difficult for me to learn a foreign language and it really stressed me out. Unfortunately, most of the programs required 15 credit hours of foreign language.

SO. I continued searching and found the Bachelor of General Studies program. I could still study criminal justice but didn't require all the foreign language credits. It wasn't perfect, though, because there were limits on how many classes I could take in the different concentrations. Since all the classes I really enjoyed were social and behavioral sciences, I quickly filled up the number of classes allowed and there were a lot of classes I would have enjoyed taking but couldn't because of the limits. On the plus side, I did get to take some oil painting classes which I really enjoyed.

I graduated in December 2011 with a degree heavy in criminal justice, psychology, and sociology classes. I found that I have a real passion for psychology as it relates to criminal behavior. I didn't start watching Criminal Minds until 2010 but it quickly became one of my favorite shows. In another life (one where I wasn't a single mom), I would have loved to work in the behavioral analysis unit of the FBI. It's absolutely fascinating to me and I do think I would be good at it. But...I'm a single mom and I'm not going to join the FBI while I have little ones to raise.

I still love it though. I love reading about it. I love reading people. And I really want to continue my education. I want to get my master degree just as much as I wanted to finish my undergraduate degree. Honestly, I think I've been thinking about graduate school even more than I thought about my bachelor degree. At that point, it was just "I want to do this; I'm going to do this" and I applied, got accepted, and started. I kinda just went with it and made all my decisions fairly easily. I knew where I wanted to go. There were only three local choices and two of them were private colleges which were way too expensive for me. Plus my grandpa--who is an alumni of WSU--would have been highly disappointed if I hadn't gone to WSU. There weren't a lot of requirements concerning getting into WSU and it all just sort fell into place for me.

Graduate school? Not so much. Money is a HUGE factor. Pell grants aren't available for graduate school. I'm also wanting an online program...taking classes online is just much easier for me. There are more requirements and they vary by university as well as by program. Most of them have a minimum GPA, varying numbers of reference letters, personal statements, and some of them stipulate certain GRE scores (which I haven't taken).

And--of course--there's the matter of what degree program I want to complete. I know I don't want strictly a Criminal/Administrative Justice program, but certain psychology and/or social work programs would be good. Then there's the question of licensing. In order to become licensed to practice, you have to meet certain qualifications and not all programs at all schools offer that. But, if I just wanted to be a case manager or parole officer, I wouldn't need to be licensed and I could find a forensic psychology program...which is basically THE course of study that I love. It combines criminal justice and psychology which is perfect for me. There's also the option to try for positions as an adjunct professor...and I do think I'd enjoy teaching college classes in these subjects (and doing it online would be even better!). But...I just don't know.

There are so many variables...so many things that I need to decide. And if I'm going to pursue my goal in the fall of this year, I need to start deciding. I don't know why it's SO hard for me to pin down exactly what I want to do. It is though. I've been thinking about it constantly and I still feel so unsure. My goal by the end of January is to figure it out!